Flame Rune
by DaBlahgz
Summary: Aeth's family was killed by demons. Her life is dedicated to ridding the world of them. When she is taken in to a temple taught what it means to have friends, through the good and the bad, how will she change? HieiXOC
1. An Escape Attempt

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho

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I walked down the sidewalk, eyes downcast and hands stuffed in my pockets. My short brown hair was mostly covered with the red bandana I wore. My black, heavily pocketed coat was swinging slightly with my rhythmic motion. Every now and then, my black shoes would scuff against the cement, creating a small grating noise. I quickly shuffled past the crowded streets, longing for the familiar emptiness of the alleys which I lived in. I wore a loose red shirt and knee-length black shorts.

Despite my desire to return to shaded alleys where less people stared with disgust, I was hungry, and needed food. A lot of people stared at my eyes, which were two different colors, the left amethyst, the right blue, so I usually kept my gaze down.

Reaching into an inner pocket on my large coat, I pulled out a locket. I had found it ten years ago, when I was four. It was in an alley I had been exploring. Inside was a picture of a family, two parents and a son. On the other side was a picture of a baby. This was my most prized possession, because I have always wanted a family of my own. I wondered constantly what it would have been like had demons not killed my parents. Ever since the day that I had learned to fight on the streets, I dedicated myself to ridding the world, or at least my small part of it, from those filthy creatures.

Rounding a corner, a sudden bad feeling hit me, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Pushing my locket back into my inner pocket, I looked around, on full alert. I felt the demon's spirit energy flowing all over the place. Whoever this one was, they were strong. Closing my eyes, I pinpointed the demon's location. Opening my eyes again, I finally saw him. He _looked_ human.

Standing a few inches above my own diminutive height, he wore a black cloak and a white scarf. His hair spiked up, and he was glaring at the ground with violent, crimson eyes. Suddenly, his eyes shot up and he directed his glare at me, raising one eyebrow slightly. I could visibly see his energy flowing off of him in waves.

I looked away, acting as if I hadn't seen him, walking forward once more. I felt the back of my neck prickle, his glare boring into my back. I needed to prepare before facing _this _particular vile creature. He was strong. A nice change, after years of weaklings.

The rumble of my stomach brought me back to the problem at hand. I passed a stand with some apples. My hand shot out, grabbing two before the man selling them had time to blink, shoving them into two different inner pockets of my coat. I kept walking, hoping he wouldn't notice. He didn't.

I smiled to myself, as I walked on, passing different stands and stores. Passing a random alley on the side, I was about to go in when a shiver ran up my spine, stopping and lingering at the base of my neck. I slowly turned to see the demon standing a few yards behind me.

He was throwing and catching an apple of his own. "Only managed to get two, boy?" he asked with a smirk, his voice low and smooth. Suddenly he had four apples, two in each hand.

I mentally smiled, but kept my outward expression disinterested. "Thievery is looked down upon," I said simply.

"You're one to talk."

I turned on my heel, closing my eyes and raising my chin. "Don't mess with me, demon," I said, kicking a small pebble behind me. I stopped and opened my eyes in shock when I sensed his spirit energy disappear. Suddenly, he was right in front of me, and I stumbled back a pace.

"How…?" he said, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

I didn't answer, just smiled tauntingly at him.

He growled, and I whirled around, diving into the throng of people. I masked my spirit energy, and took my bandana off, lest he spot it. Stuffing it into one of my many pockets, this one on the sleeve, I headed for my alleyway.

As uncomfortable as I was, being surrounded by people, I didn't want that demon to follow me. His speed was unnerving.

Minutes ticked by as the crowd slowed my progress. Finally, after what seemed like a half an hour, I reached it, and shoved my way out of the crowd.

I ran into the shadows, sighing with relief as I no longer felt the penetrating stares of all those people.

Once I reached the dead end of the alley, I was home. I had fashioned any wooden boards I could find together, using lengths of frayed rope and tattered cloths. Somehow, I had managed to make a low, sturdy shelter, which was wider than it was tall. Inside, I had two small cardboard boxes with some things inside of them that I used to fight against the demons.

One day, I had returned to find that someone had taken some of my belongings. I took care of that shortly, tracking the culprit down with precision, and, needless to say, no one from the alleys dares to touch my stuff anymore. I carried most of it around with me at all times, but some of it just got cumbersome and ended up scaring normal folk.

Getting down on my hands and knees, I crawled inside, checking the contents. All seemed in good order. Sighing and leaning against the wall behind me, I grabbed an apple from a pocket, famished.

Taking a bite, I chewed happily, content for the first time in a long while. I had food, found a new challenge, nothing was missing…All in all, a good day.

Leaning forward to the closest cardboard box, I pulled it towards me, taking another bite. This box held weapons I used against the demons, while the other box held healing equipment. Both boxes were fairly small, and nowhere near full, but at least I had the items, as they were the key to my survival against the demons. I took another bite of my apple.

I extracted an item on the top of the weapons box, a small, silver band. Swallowing, I took another bite and finished off my apple, lazily tossing the core at the alley wall. I fished the second from my pocket, and set to work on devouring it. The little silver ring glinted in my hand, showing my distorted reflection on its polished surface. This handy li'l weapon was something I had picked up from a slain demon after a battle. It helped me focus and control my spirit energy to an extent I could never attain without it. I slipped it into one of my inner pockets, so as to keep it from falling out. I had a strange feeling that I'd need it later.

Checking the box again with the satisfying crunch of my second apple, I pulled out a knife. It had quite an admirable blade, and also donned a saw ridge near the hilt. This was no ordinary knife, mind you. It was fashioned for normal uses, but, combined with spirit energy, it became a fearsome weapon. I stuck my hand into the little cardboard box and grabbed the sheath, belting it around my waist.

I ended up actually grabbing everything from the two boxes, trying as best I could to conceal it all in my pockets and under my coat. Pulling my bandana from my sleeve pocket near my shoulder, I tied it around my neck, covering up a thin chain necklace with a moon and stars trinket at the end. This had healing properties. Though it wasn't my first choice, it was good to have around, for if it were stolen, the thief most likely wouldn't be able to figure it out. It had proved useful in the past. I absentmindedly took another bite from my apple and stopped mid-bite; I finally noticed I had hit the core.

Crawling from my miserable shelter, the second apple core found itself with the same fate as the first, having been thrown roughly against the wall across from the shelter. Looking back at it, I realized I had with me right now all of my things I held dear, except one item. This I grabbed from leaning against the wall, hidden on the left side of my shelter. It was a mottled stick. My hand fit comfortably near the top, in between where two smaller branches had once grown, and I walked away without a backwards glance, painfully aware how much it seemed as it I were leaving, never to return to my alley.

I walked for a long time, all the while expanding my consciousness out as far as it would go, trying to detect any nearby demons. I stumbled slightly when one flared into my radar, but I quickly regained my composure and ran toward it. My feet flying at a speed unnatural for humans, I reached the destination in a matter of minutes: the park. The sun was sinking low on the horizon and clouds crowded the once-blue sky, turning it a sad shade of grey.

I faced the rest of the park, my eyes darting back and forth across the patch of grass that had been nurtured into a relaxing place for families and children. Then, it stepped out of the shadows.

The thing must have been at least twelve feet tall! It had sharp horns and orange, beady eyes, blue skin and rather large feet. The demon smiled when it saw me.

Assessing his speed and apparent strength in my head, I deemed the silver band would be all I would need. Grabbing the ring from my hidden pocket, I pushed it onto my left hand's middle finger, which was about the only place it fit comfortably. Lying my stick on the ground, I cracked my knuckles and spread apart my feet.

The demon laughed when it saw me take my stance. "A little human boy thinks he can defeat me, the great Ulgrehi? We'll see about that!"

I smiled lightly and began focusing my energy. It rose off of me in tendrils, curling around me and flying just above my head, making my figure glow slightly green. Ulgrehi struck at me with a clawed hand, and I hastily ducked while my energy twisted and weaved together into a large snake. He swiped again, his hand going for my energy snake. It slithered a dodge in the air, hissing at the demon. Then it struck forward, hitting the laughing creature in the chest, and with a gasp for air, the laughter abruptly ended and Ulgrehi fell to the ground with a resounding _thud_ throughout the park. I bent to retrieve my stick from the ground, when I heard something behind me.

"Don't get cocky, kid," came a rough voice. Then I yelled out in surprise as something attacked me from behind with enough force to spin me around and I landed painfully on my back. I gasped just before the world went black.

* * *

Kurama and Hiei both suddenly looked up as they sensed spirit energy flare up. They looked at one another, and then moved off toward it. As they were fairly close, it didn't take long for them to reach the park. They watched in silent amazement as a green snake made of pure energy was reared up above a boy's head, and it had a short battle with a minor apparition, which it easily disposed of.

Watching intently, the two saw the boy who'd wielded the energy bent to pick something up off of the ground, but didn't notice the other, larger demon coming up behind him. It slashed at the boy after saying something; hitting him in the back and wounding him. He fell to the ground with a surprised cry of pain, spinning around once with the force of the blow and landing on his wound. Kurama and Hiei both leaped into action.

Hiei appeared suddenly in front of the creature, decapitating it with a simple swipe from his katana.

Kurama went to check on the boy, who lay on the ground on his back, unconscious. After Hiei swiped his sword through the air to clean it, and re-sheathed it, he walked over and Kurama noticed something.

"It seems our unfortunate friend here is, in fact, a girl," he voiced to his companion. Hiei's crimson eyes widened slightly in shock when he recognized her from earlier that day. "Hiei, if you'd be so kind…"

Hiei grunted and picked her up, his arms under her knees and about her shoulders. Kurama bent to pick up the item she'd been reaching for, which was a gnarled stick that was worn smooth from use.

Hiei's signature glare had taken its place back on his face as he waited silently for Kurama. Then the two hurried away, heading off into the night.

* * *

I jolted upright, suddenly wide awake, then was pushed back down from a strong hand on my shoulder. A searing pain shot up my back, and my shoulder tingled and prickled with heat as the hand stayed there for a split second longer.

Looking around and wincing from the pain, I noticed I was in a _building._ This wasn't right…

The room was painted with warms colors, and the hard wood floors were clean and shining. It took me a moment to realize I was in a bedroom, and my bed was in the corner of the room. Looking at the rest of the room, I saw there were three people. As soon as my eyes fell on the person who was the closest, leaning against a dresser, I gasped.

"_You!_" I exclaimed, my tone accusing.

"What's this?" said a voice, and I took into account the other two people in the room. "An old friend of yours, Hiei?" The voice belonged to an attractive, red haired boy with emerald green eyes. Next to him stood a short, old lady with faded pink hair, standing up straight with her arms behind her back.

The black haired demon from earlier merely grunted.

"An acquaintance, then?"

"Hn."

"Well, what—" the red head was cut off by the demon.

"Just shut up, Kurama. I don't even know her name," he said, rather rudely, closing his crimson eyes.

"Okay then," the polite boy said, turning to me now. "I'm Kurama, this is Genkai," here he motioned to the old lady, who nodded at me as a greeting, " and _this_," he emphasized, gesturing to the rude boy, "is Hiei."

"Hiei" turned away, and Genkai walked up to my bed, standing between Hiei and Kurama, who gave me an encouraging smile.

"I'm Aeth. Aeth Oteichi," I said, looking at the other three in turn. When my eyes landed on Kurama again, I nearly gasped again. "Y-you're a demon!" I spluttered.

He chuckled. "Very observant, I see."

Trying to sit up again, I did so slowly, and spotted my coat and other clothes, clean and neatly folded at the foot of my bed. That's when I finally noticed I was wearing pajamas, which were a simple red shirt and pants that matched.

"Where did my stuff go?" I panted, beginning to feel a little panicky. Hiei pointed over his shoulder at the dresser behind him, eyes still closed. I sighed with relief as I spotted a surprisingly large pile of odds and ends. I stood to my feet, a little shaky.

"Aeth, you must stay in bed to recover," Kurama protested, sounding worried.

I walked to the dresser, and Hiei moved out of my way. It was an extremely short walk, though it left me feeling tired and sore. Rummaging through the pile of gadgets and other items, I pulled my necklace with the moon and stars from it and clasped it around my neck with one hand while I found my ring with the other, placing it back on my left middle finger.

Concentrating, I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding as I felt my pain ebb away slowly. The ring was helping me focus my energy since I was so worn out. Turning and facing the three, but mostly talking to Genkai, the human of the trio, I spoke. "Thank you so much for helping me and letting me stay in your house. I'd hate to trouble you further, so I'll be leaving shortly."

"Nonsense!" said Genkai's raspy voice as I heard her speak for the first time. "You have to stay here."

I stepped toward the bed, speaking again. "No, no, really, I must be getting back to my all-…my house." However, I pitched forward suddenly, and I nearly fainted, but a strong arm caught me around the waist and Hiei roughly sat me on the bed. He glared through his red eyes, and I thought, _What's his problem?_ Instead, out loud I muttered thanks and he grunted.

Genkai, now regaining my attention, stepped up to me. "You must rest, Aeth. No arguments. Hiei, make sure she doesn't try to leave."

Hiei directed his glare at the shorter old woman. "Hn. I don't see why _I_ have to baby sit," he growled.

Genkai turned around. "Because I need to talk to Kurama." Then she and the red haired demon left the room.

I looked at the ground, breathing in my nose and out my mouth as my back tingled with the quickened pace of it's healing. I began to feel very tired. Panting, I laid down before I could fall again. Maybe the necklace wasn't the best choice. Glancing at Hiei, I saw he was glaring back at me. "Why," I said, my breathing still heavier than normal, "did you help me?"

"Hn."

I raised an eyebrow at him, then rolled my eyes and directed my gaze to the ceiling. Apparently, he didn't talk much.

After a moment's silence, he spoke. "You have a strange structure to your spirit energy."

I blinked and looked at him. He was glaring out the window. Somehow, I felt like his sentence wasn't quite an answer to my question. Aw well. At least he was talking. "I do?" I asked.

Hiei nodded, a very slight motion of his head.

_Perhaps I spoke too soon,_ I thought. When he didn't say anything else, I took that as the end of our conversation and sighed. Taking a deep breath and standing carefully, I slowly walked to the other end of the bed, towards the door. "Now, if you don't mind," I said, pausing when Hiei suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my way with an annoyed expression. I narrowed my eyes at him and reached down for my clothing. "I'm going to go change…" I picked up my clothes, walking past Hiei. As soon as my fingers touched the doorknob, I heard: "The bathroom is down the hall, second door on the right."

"Thanks," I muttered, and walked out. With this demon following me around, I wouldn't get many chances. I'd have to take this opportunity to escape. I'd come back later for my things, once I came up with a plan.

Entering the indicated room, I closed and locked the door. Changing quickly, I put my bandana back on my head, checking my reflection in the mirror. Nodding to myself, I looked around.

There was a small counter with a sink and a large, rectangular mirror. A pattern of lilies danced across the wallpaper lining the walls. A vase sat atop a cupboard, and near the far wall was a toilet and a shower was across that.

On the wall next to the toilet was a window. Small, but I could fit through it. I was pretty short and thin, after all; an advantage that I had over other people that lived in the alleys. Closing the toilet lid and stepping atop it, I boosted myself to the window. Pausing halfway out, on the windowsill, I strengthened the walls around my mind and masked my spirit energy.

Leaping from the window, I landed lightly on the grass and began running at full speed down a hill and into the forest. I kept running for as long as I could, which wasn't very long in my condition, then, panting, I jumped into a bunch of bushes and crashed to the ground, hiding. After a while, I fell into a light, fitful sleep, and my strength ebbed away steadily. I still wasn't fully recovered. Far from it, actually.

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Genkai and Kurama's conversation had come to a pause, with the knowledge that they'd be speaking over their subject again, as they had decided to check on Hiei and the girl, Aeth. The two walked in, looking around for the girl, who seemed to have disappeared. Kurama mentally checked the rest of the house for her spirit energy, but couldn't find it anywhere.

"She's gone!" he said, opening his eyes, which he hadn't realized he'd closed.

Genkai turned her gaze to the fire demon, sitting on the windowsill and looking out over the forest. "Hiei?" she said, her tone disapproving.

Hiei pointedly glanced at Aeth's pile of belongings. "She'll be back," he said simply.

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**A/N: Okay, so I hope you all like the first chapter. I'm still new at this whole writing fanfics business, so if something goes wrong in the editing or the perspective changes, please tell me and I'll try to fix it right away. Sorry I left it at that cliff hanger, but I just couldn't resist. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to Review! I love hearing feedback from readers, and they really make me excited. Besides, with more reviews, more feedback, and possibly more submitted ideas (if you submit any, hint hint) then I'll be more likely to write faster and really get into it. **

**I'm going to try and make the chapters long, but the length will differ depending on if i want a major cliffhanger or not.  
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	2. Unexpected Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

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I awoke with a start, my muscles aching. Stretching as far as allowed in my cramped hiding place, I began to think of a strategy. Years of living on the streets had sharpened my mind for stealing things. Going over other possibilities of my plans, I chose the best one. They'd expect me to come at night.

Turning onto the path that led to the temple, I walked straight for it. On one of my many breaks from walking (I'm still tired and injured, remember), I pulled some of my spirit energy separate from me, using the help of the ring. The spirit energy's tendrils swirled together and formed a person. They intertwined themselves into an exact copy of myself. I smiled wearily as I beheld my illusion. Saluting to myself after a couple seconds, I walked on, hands shoved into the two main pockets of my coat that were meant for hands to be shoved into.

It took a while to get back to the temple, and I was beginning to wonder just how far I could've gotten when it jumped into my sight. I stopped again, getting my breath back to normal. I turned to my illusion and transferred most of my spirit energy to her…or, me?

I went straight toward the front door, still on the path, while my other self crept around the back, heading for the room that I had been in before I had escaped. Unfortunately, since I had before taken a side route and ended up going down the hill, I hadn't anticipated the long flight of steep stairs that led to the front entrance. Taking a deep breath, I set out for the long hike.

* * *

Meanwhile, my other self was almost all the way around the back. She—I?—counted the windows, starting from the one in the bathroom that she'd—I'd—jumped out of. _Second door on the right…_ passing two more windows, she—I—me—her—(Okay, I'm getting tired of this confusion, and I'm guessing you are too. Now I'll just refer to the illusion as "me" until I change views back to the real Aeth) arrived at the one supposed to be the one leading to my room. I inhaled, the hoisted myself up the wall, opening the window and clambering in noiselessly. I landed on the ground, straightening, when I stumbled backwards in surprise, hitting my head on the wall. Apparently, I was expected, and Hiei was standing right in front of me.

"Uh….hi…?" I said uncertainly, rubbing the back of my head.

"Hn. Pathetic," was the answer I received.

I spread apart my feet, and held my fists together tightly enough that the space in between my knuckles resembled a river that one would look down upon from a great height. (Or, just a squiggly line that was in between Aeth's fists… :D) I forced my spirit energy's tendrils into a twisted and coiling snake. Frowning in concentration, I then let it have its way.

The energy snake hissed at Hiei, then dove for him. He dodged quickly and I leaped for my pile of belongings. Hiei was about to stop me, when my snake hissed again and struck, forcing him to draw his sword and defend himself.

I reached my stuff and looked through it quickly. I flinched when I heard the snake's fangs rasp against Hiei's sword. I didn't mean to hurt them or anything—they _had_ helped me when I was attacked from behind by that demon. The snake struck again, and Hiei swiped his sword through its neck and—nothing happened. The snake was made of spirit energy. It couldn't be killed with a material item such as a sword. Now, the fangs—those could be used as a weapon, and as defense. If you had asked me then how that worked out at all, I wouldn't have been able to answer. But, if you had examined the ring still on my finger, you would have noticed two triangular marks missing. I began grabbing my items and shoving them into my pockets, deciding to apologize later, when I was safely reassembled in my alleyway, and I was on better terms with these people.

* * *

I had finally traversed the steps leading to the temple. Taking a couple deep breaths, and pausing for a moment at the front door, I set my face into a blank expression and walked right in. I seemed to ignore everything, and when Kurama barred my way, I stopped, staring off into space. Hopefully, this would work.

"Aeth?" Kurama sounded worried, and when I didn't answer, he waved a hand in front of my face. It took every bit of concentration I had not to blink. Furrowing his brow, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the hall. I kept my face unresponsive and I stumbled along behind him. We reached my room, and he opened the door—to see Hiei and I fighting, or rather, Hiei fighting a second me's snake. Kurama froze, confused.

"Hiei! But she's…" then he opened the door the rest of the way and pulled me inside.

Hiei's eyes widened as he looked to either of us, and my clone kept the snake at bay, refusing to let it harm an unready fighter. Little did I know, Hiei was always ready for an attack. I hopped over next to my illusion, and we both grinned in unison at the two demons' confusion.

I crossed my arms, and my copy copied me. "Ha! Can you tell which one of us is real?" we said in unison.

Kurama blinked out of his stupor. "Aeth, how did you…?"

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, now that we've got our loot—" I—we—were cut off as Genkai suddenly appeared behind me and knocked me out with a blow to the back of my head. I fell, hitting the ground, hard.

* * *

As I came to, my vision blurry, I shook my head, groaning as I slowly sat up. I had a killer headache.

"You're awake," a familiar voice stated the obvious. I looked to my left and saw Kurama.

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "More or less," I answered. Then a thought came to mind. "How did Genkai…?"

Kurama chuckled. "She didn't," he said, "Genkai hit both of you."

"And when I lost concentration, my illusion disappeared," I finished. Then I laughed nervously. "So, I guess my escape attempt failed. What now?"

"That was clever, I must say. But you probably should be careful not to forget someone next time. It could prove to be your downfall."

I rubbed my head and winced. "Thanks for the advice," I said. "Hey, Kurama?"

He blinked. "What is it?"

I sighed, trying to think of how to ask. I decided to be to the point. "How come you're so nice? I mean, you're a demon." I looked down at the lump underneath the blanket that was my feet, and I moved them back and forth while I waited for his answer.

Kurama smiled. "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not. Well, Hiei and I have decided to get a clean slate. Ever since then, Koenma has been having us work for him, helping his Spirit Detective with cases."

I paused for a moment in confusion. "Koenma?"

Kurama's smile grew. "Oh, sorry. He's the Prince of the Spirit World. He sort of runs the place."

I nodded, remembering some demons having talked about Spirit World before. "And that would make you…?"

"Traitors to demons, in a matter of speaking," Kurama answered.

I smiled in return. "I guess that's okay, then. I exterminate demons for revenge," I explained, still watching my wiggling feet.

Kurama looked concerned. "Revenge?" he asked.

I sighed, shifting my gaze to the pair of emerald eyes next to me. "They killed my parents and burned down my home," I said sadly.

Kurama looked appalled. "That's horrible!"

I nodded again, deciding to keep quiet.

The door opened and Genkai walked in. She strode to my bedside. "Now, why did you try to run away?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't like being held captive against my will," I said simply.

"Held captive?" Kurama intervened.

"Wasn't Hiei told not to let me go anywhere?"

Genkai sighed. "That was because you're still injured and we need to take you to see Koenma."

_Koenma?_ "Why do I need to go see him? Isn't he the Prince of the Spirit World?"

"It's regarding your spirit energy."

I sighed. _Why were these people making such a big deal over me?_ "Well, before I'm taken anywhere, I'm going to switch my healing items. This necklace is wearing me out too much."

Genkai cleared her throat. "Actually, we have brought a healer here to help you. Yukina—you can come in now."

At this signal, a beautiful woman walked in. She had teal hair and familiarly red eyes. The way she held herself suggested elegance, and she quickly walked over to me. "Hello, my name is Yukina. I'm very pleased to meet you," she said, bowing. I hastily nodded and bowed as well. "Now, if you'd please leave, Mr. Kurama," she said politely, and Kurama complied, as did Genkai, though she wasn't asked.

I took off my coat and turned around. "I'm Aeth, by the way," I said, taking off my necklace and sighing with relief; at the same time I winced with the sharp pain raising and lowering my arms had brought to my back.

"Yes, I know," she said in a pleasant voice. "I treated your wounds earlier, but I was only able to bandage you up last time."

I furrowed my brow and I raised my shirt in the back, holding it at my neck so she could get to my back. "Why's that?"

"Well, you desperately needed rest, and I only was able to stop the bleeding before you were taken back to be put to bed."

I nodded. "Thanks," I said awkwardly, not knowing what else I should say. I mean, not many people had actually helped me in all my time living in the streets. I wasn't really used to nice people.

I felt a relaxing tingle in my wounds, and the quickened pace of my healing—this time not sucking out all of my energy—was welcomed. After a few minutes, Yukina finished. She told me so, and I let go of my shirt, letting it fall back into place. I sighed with relief and turned back around.

"Thanks a ton, Yukina," I said.

Yukina smiled. "Of course. If you ever need help again, please do not hesitate to ask me. Now, Ms. Aeth, you will get to meet everyone."

I froze. "Everyone?"

"Yes. The Spirit Detective and his friends, plus some people from the Spirit World."

"Oh." I raised an eyebrow. "What are they like?"

Yukina laughed, the sound like a tinkling of bells. "You'll see when you meet them. They're quite a group—I'm sure you will love them, Ms. Aeth." She got up, and, waving, opened the door and walked out. I shoved my arms into my coat sleeves, and fished around in my pockets, looking for something.

Finally, I found it. I extracted said item and dangled it in front of my face to be sure. It was another necklace, the locket. Carefully, I clasped it around my neck, smiling fondly at it as it sat in the palm of my hand, closed.

I stood, then walked to the door, walking out. Before I shut the door behind me, I did a double check to be sure I had everything. I did.

As soon as I walked into the hallway, my wrist was grabbed and I was literally dragged down the passage behind some unknown person. Unknown, that is, until I heard his voice.

"Hurry, human," he said gruffly, pushing me into the living room and following shortly after. There was a portal waiting and I stumbled into it. After that, I lost all sense of up or down. Well, until I fell on the ground, face-first. Groaning and sitting up, I looked around. It was a big office, and there was a desk at the far end, along with some chairs. There was a bunch of people crowding the desk, some sitting, others standing. Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, and Hiei all followed after me through the portal, but they all landed on their feet. Quickly, they walked towards the desk.

A rather ugly boy in a blue school uniform and orange hair in a strange hairdo jumped up, and ran to Yukina. "Yukina, my love!" he shouted, and Yukina giggled, smiling at him. Hiei went and sat on a windowsill, looking angry, and Genkai and Kurama walked to the rest of the group.

A boy with black, slicked back hair turned to Genkai. "Hey Grandma. It's rare to see you here," he said loudly.

"Shut up, dimwit," she replied coldly, and then looked at someone who was in the chair behind the desk. "Koenma, we've brought her."

I couldn't see Koenma since everyone was blocking my view. I got to my feet, and walked to them, reluctant to be a part of the small crowd. A girl in a pink kimono with blue hair and pink eyes ran up to me.

"Oh, you must be Aeth!" she said enthusiastically, grabbing my hand. "I'm so happy to finally meet you! I'm Botan! How have you been? Well, besides the giant gash you had on your back earlier," she giggled, and I involuntarily took a step back. Was that something to giggle about, or was I just missing something?

The boy with slicked back hair stepped up to me. "Sheesh, Botan, give her a break."

Botan glared at him. "I'm just saying hello, Yusuke!"

I blinked. Okay, two new names for the list. The ugly boy walked over. "Hey," he said. "I'm Kuwabara."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you…three…" I smiled as they laughed.

Genkai was beckoning me over with an annoyed look, and I quickly stepped up to the desk, then froze. The person sitting there—_Koenma_—was…a teenager. He had a tattoo or something on his forehead that said "Jr". Oddly enough, there was a pacifier in his mouth, and he wore a red scarf that was actually a cape and blue and tan clothing. He had brown hair, and looked cool.

"Aeth. We finally meet," he said.

"Finally? I've only been with Genkai and the rest for….a night and half a day," I said, confused.

Koenma chuckled. "Yes, but, you see, we've been trying to track you down for quite a while."

"You have?"

"Yes, now, have a seat if you'd like. It's obvious those idiots aren't going to use them," he said, indicating Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were punching each other on the other side of the room, yelling some nonsense about payback.

I sat down, putting my elbows on the arm rests. "You've been looking for me?" I asked.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, sorry for a really long wait for the update. I kinda had writer's block, so I decided I'd leave it with a short chapter instead of prolonging the wait-time for the chapter so much. Hope you like it! Ooh, I can't wait for the story to move on to some of the ideas I have for later! Don't forget to Review, and have an awesome day! :D**


	3. A Few Details Explained

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho

* * *

_Koenma chuckled. "Yes, but, you see, we've been trying to track you down for quite a while."_

_ "You have?"_

_ "Yes, now, have a seat if you'd like. It's obvious those idiots aren't going to use them," he said, indicating Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were punching each other on the other side of the room, yelling some nonsense about payback._

_ I sat down, putting my elbows on the arm rests. "You've been looking for me?" I asked._

"Yes. I see you have been successful in your termination of demons from your world?" Koenma said, looking over some papers.

I nodded, unsure of what was next.

"And you have no superior, to give you missions to accomplish?"

I paused. "Wasn't this supposed to be about my spirit energy? And what's so special about it, anyway?"

Koenma smiled. "We'll get to that. Now, please answer my question."

"Um, okay. No, no one's ever ordered me around. For terminations, at least. Other than that, people try."

Koenma chuckled. "Now, do you work with anyone?"

I blinked. "No…" I answered slowly, suddenly wondering where this conversation was going.

"Perfect. How would you feel about working for me?"

I hesitated and held up a finger. "What do I get out of it?" I asked, skeptical. I heard someone laugh from behind me. I ignored them.

Koenma was suddenly all business. "I have prepared some payment," he said. "And you will be granted room and board at Genkai's temple."

I closed one eye and it was my turn to chuckle. "You must be desperate to get me," I said. "I hear you don't pay the Detective." After some thought and mumbling to myself, I sighed. "Fine, Koenma. I'll play along," I finally said.

"Excellent," he replied.

"But at the first sign that something is going against my principles, I'm out of here."

He frowned but didn't say anything.

I got ready to stand. "Is that all?" I asked somewhat impatiently. Now that I was beginning to get used to the atmosphere around here, I felt more comfortable.

"Nope," said a bubbly voice behind me. "Don't forget about your spirit energy!"

I turned and saw Botan, who was slightly to the right of me. I had almost forgotten she was here.

"Ah, yes," Koenma said, glancing at his papers again. " Aeth, from what you said earlier, I do not believe you to know how unique your spirit energy is. Genkai, what have you noticed?"

Genkai cleared her throat. "Aeth does not appear to have had any training, but can use her spirit energy easily. She also has mass amounts of it."

Koenma nodded slowly as he heard this, reading his papers. "It says here that her spirit energy has a strange structure."

I sat up straighter. "What's so strange about it?" I asked.

Koenma looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "It seems to have physical properties," he answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

"Well, when you were fighting with Ulgrehi, you finished him by stabbing him with a snake version of your energy, and when you were fighting with Hiei, your snake's fangs blocked and were blocked by his sword."

I blinked. "Can't everyone's spirit energy do that?"

Koenma shook his head. "It's not quite the same thing. Others can block an attack with their spirit energy by overpowering the assault, or they can attack using highly concentrated beams fired with momentum. It's not on the same physical level as yours is."

"So? Is there something wrong with me then, or what?" I asked.

"No, I believe that you are quite special, and I would like you to, over time, report any other differences your spirit energy has with the others around you."

I shrugged. "That all?"

Koenma nodded.

Standing, I sighed. "Good. I am kinda missing earth right about now." I heard chuckles around me, and turned around to see another portal open. Time for some more disorientation.

I walked toward it, and right before I went in, I heard Yusuke's voice behind me. "It helps to close your eyes."

I did, and stepped through. It really did help, but I still felt disoriented and had the feeling I was falling. Someone grabbed my arm, and I noticed that I actually _had _been falling. They had stopped me right before I had fallen flat on my face…again. I righted myself and turned to thank the person who'd helped me. It was Yusuke.

"I meant to only have your eyes closed in the portal," he said.

I laughed nervously, embarrassed. "Right…"

Everyone that had previously been in Koenma's office, with the exception of Koenma himself, was now in the temple's living room.

"Ooh, Aeth, we _have_ to go shopping!" Botan, the pink wonder, exclaimed.

"Er," I answered, "I'm not too big on shopping, especially since I have no money."

"Nonsense! I'll pay!" she said, hopping up and down. I smiled at her.

"Oh alright," I said, giving in. I didn't want to argue with someone so energetic. It'd be way too tiring. "But can that happen later? I wanna take a walk."

Botan nodded excitedly and went after Yukina into the kitchen. Soon, the aroma of tea reached us, and I took that as my cue to head to the front door. When I sensed someone's gaze on me, and turned to see everyone staring at me with suspicion.

"What?" I asked. "Oh, come on, I'm not going anywhere! Just on a walk! And besides, Yukina healed me so you don't have to worry."

Genkai raised her eyebrows, and everyone else copied her gesture. I sighed. "Fine, here—" I handed Genkai my locket with some reluctance, " that's my most prized possession. Now you'll be guaranteed I'll come back, alright?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara laughed loudly, Genkai chuckled and Hiei kept an annoyed expression. Kurama smiled.

I turned around again and reached for the front door, when I heard Genkai say, "Hiei, go with her."

I whipped around again and saw anger flare up in Hiei's face. "I already had babysitting duty, and looked how it turned out last time!"

Genkai turned, and just before she walked off, she paused and answered. "We have her word that she won't run away again, and besides, this is for her protection. Demons are in the woods."

"Hey—I can take care of myself!" I said, but she was already walking off. Hiei looked as unhappy if not more so than I was.

I turned around and stomped out the front door, not looking back to see if he was following or not. _Great, I have to hang around with the glaring, grunting demon. _

I got started on the steps, watching the sky. Probably not the best choice for steep stairs, but lucky for me, I wasn't overly clumsy at that moment. I successfully got down the steps uninjured, and speed-walked down the path. So much for the leisurely walk I had been planning on. I kicked a pebble in my way and it rolled off into the bushes. Because of that rustle, I didn't notice what was now sneaking up behind me. Suddenly Hiei was there, and he blocked a claw swipe from a minor apparition with his katana.

He swiped it across the demon's throat, and a blood splatter and a thud later, it was beheaded and on the ground. Hiei swiped his sword through the air, cleaning the blood off of it. "So much for taking care of yourself," he grunted.

I "humphed" and kept walking. I heard an annoyed growl behind me come from Hiei. I felt caged again, like last time. It's like Genkai didn't actually trust my word. Why did she have to send Hiei with me? He was going to ruin my nice walk. Not to mention that neither one of us had very good people skills.

I sensed something next to me up in a tree branch, and it was emitting a killing intent. Without looking up, I sent my snake up and took care of it. I heard a satisfying blood splatter and smiled. Ha! That should shut him up about me not being able to take care of myself!

* * *

After a while, I got tired of feeling his glare on my back, and slowed so he'd be walking next to me. We hadn't run into any more demons for a while. He was glaring straight ahead, not seeming t be any less annoyed with me than when I had first started my walk.

"So," I said, and his pupils turned to me, though his head didn't move, "are you and Yukina related or something?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed notably.

" I mean, you both have the same eyes," I explained my theory, and he looked ahead again.

"I'm her brother," I heard him say. "But don't tell her, or I'll have to kill you."

At first I thought he was joking, but when I chuckled and he only glared at me, my laughter died and I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Was he serious…?

I sighed in the following silence. What a happy, nice walk this was. My supposed bodyguard slash babysitter had now just threatened my life. And what was with him always saying he was babysitting? It was getting on my nerves.

"What's the story behind that locket?" he suddenly asked, and I jumped.

"What?"

Hiei grunted. "It's m turn to ask a question," he answered.

I blinked. "Inside is a picture of a family. The parents kinda look like my own, but it can't be my family because there's an older brother in the picture. I'd never seen him before I found the locket." I paused for a moment before continuing. "I've had the locket as long as I remember since my home was burned to the ground and my parents killed by demons."

It was silent again. Hiei showed no sign that he had even listened, until, when we had reached a fork in the path, he said: "Your turn."

I took a right and was silent for a long time. I don't think that Hiei minded my silence, and it was nice to have some time to think. "How come you keep saying that you're babysitting me?" I asked with a tinge of my earlier annoyance.

"Hn."

I waited for a few more seconds. "'Hn' is not an answer," I informed him.

He shot me a glare. "Because you can't take care of yourself and I'm being forced to fill in for you." He replied simply.

"I can too take care of myself!" I retorted.

"Hn."

I growled in frustration and walked faster. From then on, I simply ignored him.

* * *

We reached the edge of the trees, and I put my arm over my eyes to keep out the rays of sunlight that we suddenly walked through. When my eyes adjusted to he new brightness, I saw we were on a wide beach. The sand stretched on forever in either direction, and the ocean was a cobalt blue. Clouds flecked across the sky, and some lazy seagulls were riding the wind. The waves gently lapped onto the shore, leaving behind seashells and the like. A few creatures were seen scuttling around the beach—sand pipers, crabs, sand fleas, seagulls, and crows. Some jellyfish had washed ashore, and some logs were left at the grass line, probably left over from high tide.

I gasped and stared in wonder at the white sand and welcomingly blue ocean water. I had never been to the beach before. Laughing out loud, I ran down the sand, swirling around in circles and looking up the sky.

After a few faster spins, I got dizzy and fell over onto my back. Then I just grinned form ear to ear and watched the clouds float across the wide expansion of sky. The beach was beautiful!

Once I caught my breath, I sat up, and looked back. Hiei was still standing where I had left him, watching me. I waved him over. He closed his eyes, and even though I couldn't hear him over the wind, I could imagine him say "Hn."

Once he reached me, I stood and brushed myself off, starting up our walk once again and grabbing a stick along the way. I carved a trail in the sand after me, making it squiggle and go wild every once in a while. I felt this excitement in the pit of my stomach that made me feel like a little kid again. It seemed like nothing could ever go wrong here.

"Isn't it great?" I asked Hiei, grinning.

He grunted in reply, and I just grinned wider. Who cared if he just wanted to grunt and not appreciate this wonderful place? I spun in circles, still dragging my stick, and made the line look jerky and zigzagged.

I tried dragging my feet in a spot of sand that was hopping with sand fleas, and I stopped in surprise when the sand squeaked. I tried again with the same results. I laughed and ran up to the water, letting it wash up onto my feet. It was warm and soaked through my shoes, but I didn't care. I picked up a shell next to my left foot and inspected it. It was white and round, with a kind of star-shaped blackish mark on the bottom of it. Other than that, it was rough and whole. I rubbed it gently with my fingers and kept walking.

I skipped a little, but mostly walked. The beach was great. "Okay, that's it!" I called back to Hiei. "I'm gonna come here whenever I can!"

I thought I heard him grunt, but I could've been wrong. The wind was loud.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I am soooooooooo sorry for such a long update wait T.T apparently my teachers think that the end of quarter means it's okay to load as much homework as they want on me. With that, finals, book reports, and a little procrastination thrown in, it gives a long update wait. Okay, I'm gonna try to write more often, and please give me some kind of feedback! Constructive only please--i don't really mind negative comments so long as they help me do better in my writing ^.^**

**So, I hope you all liked this chapter, and I'll get to planning for the next chapter!  
**


	4. Arrival To The City

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, that would rock and I would be extremely happy. E(:**

_

* * *

I thought I heard him grunt, but I could've been wrong. The wind was loud.

* * *

_

I fingered my white shell. I didn't know what it was, so I just figured I'd ask Kurama or Genkai about it later. The beach really was a special place. I'd never seen anything like it before. The sun, now almost directly above us in the sky, shone brightly and reflected itself off of the ocean. Waves beat upon the shore. They seemed eager to reach the parts of sand that the other waves hadn't gotten to touch. In their excitement, they left behind tokens of the ocean that they had collected over time in the dark, wet sand. Some rocks, others shells. Some trash, others treasure. The beach was such a mysterious place. You never could know what was going to happen next. Such peace…

I turned from the scenery before me to look at my companion. He was watching the sea, his ever-present glare softened with the innocence of the ocean, or so I saw it. I glanced up again.

"Maybe it's time to go back now," I said and sighed. I was definitely coming back here. Soon.

Hiei didn't say anything, so I turned back on the trail that we'd left behind, and began to follow it back. I almost laughed at my own trail. It looked so random compared to Hiei's near perfectly straight line. The walk back tot he temple didn't take as long as the walk to the beach because we knew where we were going this time. We also weren't hampered by demons. Either they had taken the hint or just none were in the area for now.

* * *

It had been three days since my and Hiei's walk to the beach. Since then, it seems I've gotten considerably less on his bad side, or at least I wasn't quite as irritating to him. Though, I bet that Genkai's recent tendency to not make Hiei come with me added a big factor in this. As of now I sat on my bed in my small room and looking across the room to the window, which was open and a breeze fluttered in. I was very grateful to Genkai for the room and board, but I wished she could have chosen different colors form my room. It was all pink and a creamy orange. Not the best colors, in my opinion.

Moonlight filtered in through the small opening in the wall and I could see some stars in the sky. Living in an alleyway in the city had deprived me of such a sight, and whenever stars were in my presence I couldn't help but stare at them. They were so beautiful. Just seeing them calmed my mind, and I felt at peace. With a small smile I mused that if my bed were right next to the window I would probably never get any sleep, spending all night long watching the stars. Seeing a shooting star, I rushed to the window and watched it fly across the wide expanse of sky in my view.

"I wish…" I started, but then I stopped. What should I wish for? To go home? That was burned down and replaced. To go back to my alley? That was cold and uninviting now, and all my things were with me. To get some work? That would require me fighting demons, and though getting paid was enticing, I was enjoying my peace here. Stuck with no idea what to wish for, I watched helplessly as the star faded from view.

"You don't know what to wish for?" a voice asked in my ear, and I jumped.

Spinning around, I glared accusingly at Kurama. "This is my room, hello."

He chuckled. "Well, I knocked, but you didn't answer."

I blinked. "You did?" I asked, my voice flat. "Sorry… I didn't hear you."

"Oh, that's quite alright. I should be the one apologizing, after all. I'm sorry I intruded," he said with a bow.

I blushed with embarrassment and waved off the bow. "Not necessary," I said. "So what did you need me for?"

Kurama smiled and straightened. "The others were wondering if you would like to come with us. We are going out shopping with Botan and exploring around the city. We figured that you could show us around a little."

I glanced at the window quickly, and then back at the fox demon. "Now?" I asked.

He nodded. "Botan was fairly excited for this, as you hadn't gone three days ago. She also said that it was much more fun to run around in the city at night," he added with a smile.

I smiled in return. "Okay, I'll be right there."

The red haired demon deftly left the room for me to prepare myself. I grabbed my coat, combed through my hair with my fingers quickly, and sifted through my ever-present pile of belongings. Finding a particular favorite of mine, the ring, I slipped it onto my left middle finger. Another item, which I never went anywhere without, except when I had to convince the others of my sincerity to stay, was my locket. I grabbed that and slipped it around my neck, smiling as I felt the cold metal on my skin.

Turning, I walked to the door, pausing as I reached for the door handle, trying to remember if there was anything I may have forgotten. Being able to think of nothing, I continued to open the door and stride into the hall, right into the bubbly presence of Botan. It was confusing at first.

"Aeth! It's so nice to see you again! Hi! I can't wait for you to show us around everywhere! Oh, by the way, this is Keiko," she said, waving over to a quiet-looking brunette wearing jeans and a pink t-shirt.

I smiled and waved at her and she did the same in return. Botan kept talking, but I'm not sure if anyone really paid any attention to her. It seemed that I was getting more used to people, or at least these people. Just then the notion hit me. It was rather odd that someone raised on the streets would be uncomfortable in crowds, especially as they often used the multitudes of people to their advantage. Perhaps it was because of my two different colored eyes. If it was that, maybe I felt more comfortable around these people because they hadn't said anything about it. None of them had scoffed or made fun of me because of it.

Our group consisted of Kuwabara, Yusuke, Botan, Yukina, Keiko, Hiei, Kurama, and myself. It was a rather quiet on the walk to town, aside from the scolding being passed around, of course, which made it seem that it took forever. This was especially true since almost the entire time I could feel Hiei's glare on my back. There was a reason I had wanted to stay in the very back, but Botan had insisted on clinging to my arm constantly. Along the way, I noticed that Keiko wasn't entirely the quiet girl I had thought she would be. A lot of her time was spent yelling at Yusuke for something or another. As we walked, many insults were thrown around, and I had to restrain myself from laughing when Yusuke and Kuwabara called Hiei a midget or short and voiced other height jokes. I know Hiei probably had noticed my visible restraint and now his glare was more intense than ever.

I felt a yawn take over me, and I looked up at the sky. "How long until we get there, guys? I'm getting kind of tired," I said.

"Well, we could go faster if you want," Botan said. With a wave of her hand, her canoe paddle appeared. The others grinned, as did I. What was better to wake you up than a nice race in the cool night air?

"Want to race?" I asked the others, voicing what everyone was thinking. Hiei smirked at the thought. He knew he was going to win. Or did he?

"Dude! I'm so going to win!" Kuwabara said, and earned a punch on the shoulder from Yusuke.

"No way an idiot is going to win!"

Hiei chuckled. "So neither of you will win." I laughed at that.

"So!" I said, clapping my hands together. "Keiko, Yukina, are you two participating?"

Keiko shook her head and smiled. "I'll ride on Yusuke's back."

Kuwabara turned to Yukina. "I could give you a ride if you like," he ventured to say.

Yukina blushed. "Thank you, Kazuma."

After Keiko and Yukina were situated, everyone looked at Hiei and me expectantly. I chuckled nervously, seeing as he was already pretty ticked at the prospect of Yukina riding on Kuwabara's back. "Ready to go?" I asked, hinting that I wasn't to ride with anyone.

"You don't want to ride on my paddle?"

I grinned at Botan, seeing Hiei's very slight smile in the corner of my eye. He knew my speed and it must be impressive because he seemed amused at the idea that they would offer me a ride. There's also the fact that her inquiry sounded a little funny. "Nah, I'll pass. Besides, I'd rather run," I answered.

Kuwabara laughed and Yusuke shrugged. "Don't complain to us," he said, "when we leave you behind!"

I smirked. "You wish!"

"GO!" Kuwabara yelled, eager to race.

We all took off, Hiei heading for the front. I ran with the others for a while, mimicking their breathing patterns. "Wow, you guys are pretty fast," I said to Yusuke. He smiled triumphantly. "Too bad you aren't faster!" I began to run faster progressively, my footsteps pounding hard on the road. I grinned from ear to ear as I felt the wind rush by my ears and through my hair. Tonight I hadn't worn my bandana, and I reveled at the fact that the stars were over me and I was able to run as fast as I wanted in a wide-open area with my new friends. "Last one has to pay for food!" I called over my shoulder, feeling giddy as I sped up. Now to catch up to Hiei.

My legs pumping, my heart pounding, I found myself running faster than I had dared to with other people in sight. It was always unruly to run too fast in crowds or by someone who may know about demons. They could mistake her for one. People also tend to feel uneasy with other people who are able to do…special things that they cannot do. But everyone here—my _friends_—I reminded myself, didn't care if I was too fast to possibly be human or too short or even had two different colored eyes. They all had something unusual about them, too. I began to laugh as I ran, as happy as I was that I could truly be myself around these people. And if I were to say when I felt loved and cared for, accepted for who I was, and truly free, it would be then, while I was somewhere halfway between Hiei and the others in our race for my old home, so I could show them what I knew, all my tricks and knowledge of the city life.

As you can guess, it was a pretty important moment for me, and was suddenly interrupted when I saw someone unexpectedly up ahead. It was Hiei. I quickly caught up then slowed down to run beside him.

"Why are you going to slow?" I asked, confused.

Hiei grunted. "I figured I'd let you catch up so we could see if you really are faster than I thought."

I furrowed my brow in confusion, but shrugged inwardly. I took a few deep breaths in silence, to even my breathing. Once I was ready, I took off without warning, trusting that Hiei would probably guess right before I did that I was going to start. It turns out that he did, and he took off half a second before me.

Taking long strides, I grinned again as I ran. Yet, it seemed no matter how much I tried to increase my speed, Hiei was always faster than me. I was going to be at my limit soon. I hadn't run so fast for a long time. Being in the city all the time doesn't improve chances that not many people will see you.

I glimpsed Hiei looking behind him to judge how far behind him I was. At that moment, I sped up and caught up to him, playfully jabbing him in the shoulder with a grin. He frowned at me and we both sped up again, each trying to outrun the other. I laughed, knowing that the use of oxygen would simply hamper my speed. Needless to say, I hadn't had so much fun in a long time. I suddenly didn't quite care if I was really that fast or not, or whether I really could outrun the fire demon to my left. I just wanted to keep having fun like this.

Seeing our destination, we shared a mutual determination and I ran to my heart's content. At my absolute limit, I ran into the town. I pulled passed the outer boundary of the town—a half millisecond after Hiei. I struggled to slow down and stop in time before I ran into the middle of the street or a building. It didn't g as well as planned, and I ended up tripping and doing a face plant in the dirt.

I didn't care that I had lost. It was obvious that while I was at my limit, Hiei could still most likely go much faster. He had been holding out on me, just to watch me struggle.

As soon as I caught my breath, I laughed. This, of course, was not the best option, as I quickly ran out of breath again. Hiei gave me an odd look, probably confused as to why I was laughing if I had just tried my best and lost. This only made me laugh harder. Again, still not a good idea. Either way, as I didn't end up dying that day due to lack of oxygen, it was alright. Eventually, my awkward hiccups of laughter must have gotten at least a little contagious, as Hiei smirked down at me in my position on the ground.

I tried to imagine what was going through his head. A weird, ignorant, city human girl was sitting on the ground, covered in dirt, laughing until her sides split, because she just lost a very competitive race while trying her very best. I shrugged inwardly, as I didn't have the strength to physically amidst the laughter.

It took a few minutes for me to stop laughing. By that point, I didn't even think I remembered what was so funny. Perhaps I just laugh too much. By this point, Hiei also looked rather annoyed at me, though slightly relieved that I had stopped my infernal laughter.

I laid down in the dirt, looking up at the stars. They weren't nearly as visible here as they had been at the temple. Such a shame, it was. After I felt calm once again, I stood up, dusting myself off.

"Hn. I'm not sure whether that was amusing or simple idiotic."

I chuckled softly. "Both, I think. What did my fall look like?"

Hiei smirk condescendingly. "Idiotic," he answered.

I grinned at him. "Too bad the others couldn't see it then," I said, stretching. "Ah, that felt good. I haven't run that hard for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure I even knew that I could go that fast." When I spotted his self-praising smirk, I snorted. "Don't get me wrong, I know that I lost by a long shot. You weren't even trying, by the looks of it."

From the kind of expression he opted, I got the feeling that he didn't know if that was praise or simply self-demoting. He gave no answer that proved my theory wrong, however. Rather, he gave no answer at all, and with a sharp nod, I took that as the end of our short conversation. There weren't any trees around, and I didn't want to lose the others by going into the city yet, so I just kind of stood there, feeling like an idiot. I probably looked like one, but I didn't altogether care.

* * *

**A/N: Gah! I'm so sorry guys! I suck at updating! XD Either way, I'll try REALLY hard to update more often, even if it means (DUN DUN DUN!) smaller chapters. That way, in the long run, there will be more content... right? Please give me some feedback, especially if you think I'm pulling the Yu Yu Hakusho characters out of... character. I would hate to ruin them in my fangirlishness. Also, if you have some idea for my fanfic that you really want to share with me, or random thoughts, parts you think are funny, stuff you want to comment on, tips for the story (or to help me update more often), or something that you want to see happen in my fanfic, feel free to send me a message or include it in a review! I know, I'm desperate for some fanfic buddies. Prolly makes me seem like a total nerd, but who cares? It's not far from the truth anyway. XD So, please don't forget to review, it gives me motivation! (I'm also open to constructive criticism, as long as you tell me what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it.) :D**

**ZeelahLynxclaw  
**


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